


Finding Destiny

by Applesaday



Series: Countless Lifetimes [14]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 02:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4122691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesaday/pseuds/Applesaday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina and Emma have become friends since saving Henry in Neverland. After causing a scene in Granny's Diner, Neal and Hook want Emma to drink a potion that will show who she really loves, thinking it will be one of them. Emma doesn't want to since she is secretly in love with Regina.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Finding Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Alright! The drabbles just keep on coming!
> 
> Apparently nearly everyone is interested in seeing the previous drabble continued, so I'll just settle with a 'maybe one day', probably when my story count lowers. Also I think I finally managed to respond to everyone's reviews, if I missed you, I'm truly sorry!
> 
> Anyway, let's get started!

_Comedy_

**Prompted by:**  kashi333

**Warning/Notes:**  As said in the summary, it features both Neal and Hook being their boisterous selves thinking they're going to 'rightfully' get Emma. Everything up to returning from Neverland happened, except no Pan body switch with Henry, so things are calm in Storybrooke, no imminent curse.

* * *

When Emma had gotten the call from Granny to come break up a fight, she thought it'd be her regular 'pull Leroy away from some poor soul' routine, since the dwarf was always picking a fight with someone, especially when he was drunk. And considering he was drunk 90% of the time, the chances were highly likely. But it seemed like this time would be the exception as, when she barged into the diner, she saw Leroy practically passed out on his barstool.

Frowning, Emma looked at Granny for a moment, before the elder woman jerked her head to the other side of the diner, where her worst nightmare was playing out near the back in loud voices. She's not sure how she didn't notice it when she came in, but the saying of nothing being more convenient than the wilful ignorant who did not want to see came to mind.

She supposed that, in some messed up way, she should feel honoured at having two people vying for her attention but it just sickened her and made her want to run away. She wasn't a prize to be won, or a piece of meat to be ogled at. Not to mention that Neal and Hook were the last people she would consider getting together with.

"Swan! There you are, help me prove to young Neal here that you and I are...an 'item' I believe it's called?" Hook said, waving his right arm about as if he was making an eloquent speech.

Glancing at Neal, Emma could see that he was just not having it. "Seriously man, we have a  _kid_  together, no inconsequential kiss is gonna top that."

"Enough!" Emma harshly said, careful to not raise her voice so Granny wouldn't get angry. "Both of you are acting like children. Duking it out in the middle of Granny's? Have either of you got even the slightest bit of maturity, or did Neverland rob you both of it?"

Both men were looking thoroughly embarrassed at being scolded. Hook was the first to attempt to speak, reaching out with his hand to grab her arm. "Swan..."

But Emma wasn't going to let him have his way, backing away from him so his hand clutched nothing but air, his small stumble showing that he already had some rum before heading here.

"Come on Emma, just pick one of us and we can be done with this thing," Neal piped up.

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. How was she going to get away with this? "You want me to choose? Fine. Neither. Now kindly get on with your lives and start acting like adults."

Without giving them any chances to respond, Emma turned around and left the establishment.

"Wait, Swan doesn't like either of us?" Hook asked, confusion clear on his face.

Neal shook his head. "Nah man, it's clear she just doesn't want to hurt the feelings of one of us."

"Well how the hell do you propose she'll tell us then? I mean, she isn't going to keep us hanging like that forever, is she?" Hook seemed appalled at the very idea.

"Maybe, if we could get someone to help us..."

* * *

Emma wasn't even sure where she was going until she found herself at Town Hall. She and Regina had surprisingly become fast friends in the past 4 months since they had been back from Neverland. And with Storybrooke experiencing a period of calm not seen in at least 2 years, there was no tension to make both headstrong women angry. Plus their magic lessons were great de-stressors. Not that they had issues to work out with each other, but rather because the town's denizens could grate their nerves and get under their skins in such a way that only letting their magic out could help.

Henry was happy with his arrangement of interchanging weeks living with Regina or Emma - who had recently gotten her own apartment - and the occasional weekend with either Neal or the Charmings.

Life was good, so this wrench of having to choose who she liked being thrown into the mix was exactly the kind of thing she had hoped to avoid by not giving an answer. Truth was, she did like someone, just not either of the men who were vying for her attention. No, she just had fall for Regina, the impossible choice. She had long accepted that her crush would never go anywhere, so she was resigned to just wait until the infatuation died out, though it didn't look like it was ending anytime soon. Her only hope was that someone more attainable came along.

"Can you believe Neal and Hook's nerve?" Emma began, barging in to Regina's office, seeing Regina there but not taking much stock of her other surroundings, or the fact that Tink was there. "They started to have a pissing contest right in the middle of Granny's, trying to prove- Oh, hey Tink," Emma trailed off bashfully.

Tink didn't seem to mind the awkwardness at all, instead just standing up and waving excitedly at Emma, before blurting, "Oh do continue! What were they trying to prove?"

Seeing a similar look of curiosity on Regina's face, who had yet to say one word, Emma continued, albeit a little bit less indignant, "Which one of them likes me more, and who I'd pick."

"Well, who  _would_  you pick?" Tink asked, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. Ever since getting back with the fairies, Tink has been one constant ball of energy. It made Emma wonder if the fairies were inhaling some of the fairy dust and becoming hyperactive as consequence.

"No one! I don't...I'm not choosing! It's idiotic." Emma exclaims, spluttering as she tried to explain without giving any details. Especially since part of her reason was right in the room with her.

Now Tink seemed confused, tilting her head a little to the side. "You mean that it's a hard choice?"

Emma just looked to Regina for help, unsure how to react. When Regina just gave a big shrug, herself uncertain on the situation, Emma tried to say, "No Tink, it's not that..."

But Tink just kept on rambling. "Well it'd actually be quite simple! I think I've got the ingredients, and now that Blue gave me my wings back...yes! Come by the diner this evening, I'll fix something to solve this conundrum!"

Before Emma could try to counter it, Tink disappeared in a puff of lime green smoke. "I get the feeling tonight's going to be a disaster."

"At the very least, it'll be very entertaining," Regina quipped, speaking for the first time since Emma came in.

Emma gave Regina a playful glare. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Getting to see the great and powerful Saviour stuck in a love triangle? This is better than any rom-com out there," Regina goaded. She wasn't actually enjoying seeing her friend in such a conundrum, but for the sake of their banter, Regina was salivating this.

"Har har. Do you have Tink's number? Wait, does she even  _have_  a phone?" Emma asked, desperate to get to Tink before she did something that would make Emma regret even opening her mouth.

Instead of getting an answer, her phone began to ring. After fishing it out of her pocket, she quickly glanced at the screen. Emma cringed when she saw Neal's name. Hoping that he was just making sure he would be picking Henry up tomorrow for their weekend together, she held up a finger to tell Regina to hold her thought, and answered the phone with a clipped, "Hey."

"Hey Em, I wanted to say sorry about earlier, but Tink told us the great news!"

Emma's eyes widened in confusion. " _What_  great news did Tink tell you?"

"How she was preparing a potion to put this confusion to rest once and for all! I mean, Hook and I were going to the fairies to ask anyway, but you took the initiative before we could, so I guess we'll see you tonight!"

"Wait but-" Emma heard a click as Neal had hung up, leaving Emma with a lot of excuses running through her mind, though none would get to be voiced. "Great, Tink told Neal and Hook about the potion."

"So, I'm assuming this means that things are still on for tonight?" Regina asked with a sympathetic look.

Emma strode forward and collapsed on the chair on the other side of Regina's desk, legs splayed out and arms lazily hanging off the sides of the chair. "Why me?"

"Because you are kind, despite your closed-off nature. You forgave Neal for his mistakes and allowed him to try to make things right by being in Henry's life, and although i don't exactly condone your kissing of the pirate-"

"Spur of the moment," Emma piped up.

"I beg your pardon?" Regina asked.

"Me kissing Hook was just a spur of the moment thing. I was tired of his relentless pursuing, and I thought that maybe he just wanted to brag about having kissed me to his mates, so I just did it."

Regina let out a small chuckle. "You should know that pirates like him never ease up. He's like a dog, once he has a whiff, he'll keep pursuing it, and any attention you spare him just keeps his motivation going."

This made Emma let out a long-suffering groan, throwing her head back and dragging her hands down her face before letting them cover her face in embarrassment.

"You don't have to go, you know," Regina said after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah I do," Emma countered, voice muffled due to her hands. "Otherwise I'll keep getting chased down and cornered to give an answer for the rest of my life."

"The proverbial rock and a hard place then," Regina quipped.

* * *

Emma had essentially been avoiding the town for the entire afternoon.

Unsurprisingly, word had gotten out about the event at Granny's that was set to be happening this evening, and practically the entire town wanted to be there for some bizarre reason. It got to the point that, apparently Granny was going to be closing the Diner's doors after the max number of patrons had been reached, and Ruby had told her that Granny was seriously debating whether tell them to do their little performance somewhere else, or to charge people entrance.

_I think she's prepping the crossbow too_ , Ruby had texted her around noon.

If she had to warrant a guess, it'd be that either Neal or Hook, in a display of hubris, had blabbed to the entire town. If she was honest, her money was on Hook. Not that Neal couldn't be an egotistical idiot, but Hook was a louder boaster.

When she went to go pick up Henry from school, she made sure to wait a little ways back to avoid the gossiping suburban mothers who would certainly have something to say regarding this evening's debacle. It was incredible how sensationalized the more popular fairytale characters were. Her parents were seen almost like celebrities, and meanwhile Martha the sower did what she wanted, speaking her mind without any repercussions, while also leading the local PTA against Regina every time the school had a meeting, or so Mary Margaret informed her. Martha had choice words to say about everyone, and those that didn't make it up to her standards were considered beneath her, and at the forefront was Henry's mother, who she saw as an irresponsible and egotistical despot, and that was one of her lesser insults.

"Ah Sheriff!" Apparently she wasn't far enough back. "I heard you were hosting an event this evening!"

"I'm not hosting anything," Emma ground out, hands clutching tighter at her crossed arms, not looking at Martha or her posse of fellow mothers, just continuing to lean on the tree that was offering her some shade from the warm sun.

"Oh? But Tracy was just telling me that your two suitors were causing a ruckus at Granny's this morning, and you roped one of the fairies to solve the matter for you so you don't get your hands dirty."

How Emma wanted to punch Martha, but that would garner her no sympathy points with the town. "Well you heard wrong, and Tracy must've gotten confused with someone else, now if you don't mind, I need to pick up my son."

She left the three women behind her, and she could just imagine the things they were saying. But Emma didn't care. She had other things to worry about.

"Hey ma!" Henry greeted, running to meet her.

"Hey kid, ready to head home?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically. School today had been so boring, he was hoping for a little excitement today.

And boy did he get excitement. By the time Emma was finished telling him everything with Hook and Neal, the kid was practically bouncing as they walked back to their apartment. "So who would you pick?"

"Neither Henry, I told you, I don't like Hook or Neal."

Henry nodded. "So what will the potion do?"

Emma hadn't thought of that. Would it pick whoever she disliked the least? She wasn't sure what the potion even was or what it would do. For all she knew, her lack of answer would lead to her growing green spots all over her skin. "Beats me, I guess we'll find out tonight."

Henry being Henry, just couldn't stop his barrage of questions. "Ma, do you like anyone?"

"Are you asking as my kid, or are you going to become Storybrooke's newest matchmaker?" Emma asked, amused.

The young boy just shrugged, a mischievous smile on his face. "Come on, just tell me!"

Emma ruffled his head and let out a chuckle. "Oh kid, don't worry about it, it'll never happen anyway."

"Why not? You're the Saviour, who wouldn't like you?" Henry's logic seemed sound in its simplicity, but she knew things were never so easy.

"You'd be surprised..." Emma muttered.

Henry shook his head. "I don't believe it. Now can you please tell me? Maybe I can help!"

"Henry...maybe it's not such a good idea."

"I won't tell, I promise! But you deserve your happy ending too!" Henry responded, flashing his big eyes at her in a way that was just perfect for enticing adults to bend rules to let him have his way.

"It's not that simple. Sure many things would be so much more simpler if it did work out, but real life doesn't work that way kid. It's messy and complicated."

"Well what are you so scared of? Telling whoever you like that you like them shouldn't be that complicated," Henry pressed.

Emma gave him a disbelieving look. "Would you tell Paige that you have a crush on her?"

Henry's only answer was to blush furiously like a tomato.

"And there you go. Some things just aren't meant to be easy. You won't tell Paige you like her for fear of rejection the same way I won't admit that I like Reg-" Emma caught herself, her panic rising. She had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk after realizing what she had nearly revealed, eyes wide, hoping Henry hadn't noticed her partial blunder.

Just her luck, he had. And based on his little shit-eating grin, he knew just who exactly 'Reg' was referring to. "Oooh I get it."

Emma's first instinct was to ask, "But you won't tell her,  _right_?"

Henry shook his head, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. Now she had another burning question. "And...you wouldn't mind? I mean, your mother and I...if we did...get together?"

"Duh, of course not, you are both my moms, what's cooler than having you both together? And you should tell her ma! I think she likes you too!"

Emma very much doubted that. She had just managed to make Regina her friend, and she longer hated Emma -at least in an active sense, she might still burn effigies in the darkness of her vault when no one was looking for all she knew, because Regina had admitted to having done it in the early days after the curse broke during one of their many sharing sessions - and if she wanted to keep things from blowing up in her face, she needed to stay on Regina's good side. Confessing that she liked her very much would not help her cause.

These past few months had been blissfully wonderful for the two women. Not only that, but Emma had truly fallen hard for the brunette. More so than just as a friend, she found that Regina made her smile with her easy humour, plus the time they spent together made some days more worthwhile for Emma, and she really enjoyed Regina's insight and their discussions on nearly everything and anything. But she still had so many doubts about what to do with those feelings. Was she able to settle for 'just friends'?

"Ma? Are you okay?" Emma then realized that they had been standing on the sidewalk the entire time she had been musing. She had it bad.

"Yeah kid, I was just thinking."

* * *

Regina absolutely refused to go to the Diner that evening. She wouldn't be able to stand seeing her heart broken. After Neverland, Regina had decided that it was high time she let go of her grudge towards the Saviour - otherwise she'd be the pot calling the kettle black by being no better than the rest of the town who were still prejudiced against her - and got to know Emma as the other mother of her son, not just the Saviour. To her surprise, she found that she thoroughly enjoyed Emma's company. She was down to earth and quite entertaining, always managing to make her smile.

However, she would never kid herself into believing it would be anything more than just a deep friendship built on the common ground that is their son. But she did take a page from the Charmings' handbook and keep a sliver of hope that maybe, someday, Emma might feel something for her akin to what she felt for Emma.

Considering the debacle of Emma's two suitors, Regina wasn't going to hold her breath for it.

* * *

It was time. Emma had come up with at least 20 excuses on the walk over, and she didn't discount wilder theories like getting into her Bug, and flooring the accelerator until she was in Nebraska. No magic or suitors to chase her there!

But she couldn't just leave her family, which did automatically include Regina, without a doubt. So she steeled herself for a night of awkwardness, and kept a firm grip on Henry's shoulders as she approached the throng of people waiting outside the diner like a horde of paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

Once she finally managed to get both of them inside the diner unharmed, Emma was practically tackled by an enthusiastic Tink who dragged her further in. "Emma! You made it! We were worried you weren't going to show up!"

"Yep, I'm here! And so is...everyone." The place was packed. She spotted her parents in the crowd, a few of her friends, her parents' friends - mainly the dwarves and some of the princesses - as well as Hook's shipmates and other lucky folks who managed to sneak inside, probably from the B&B's entrance. And of course, near her were the main attractions, her suitors standing beside one another.

"Let's get this started!" Tink exclaimed, letting go of Emma's hand.

Emma flashed a nervous smile, approaching the table nearest her where a vial rested, and she stood across from Hook and Neal. "So how does this work?"

"Oh it's simple, you don't need to look so worried! Basically I'll pour the potion over you, and then this trail of dust will lead you to the one you're destined to be with! Much better than fairy dust, if I do say so myself," Tink explained, holding up the vial holding golden liquid within it.

"Let's just get this over with," Emma suggested dejectedly. If anyone noticed her lack of enthusiasm, they said nothing. Tink uncorked the bottle, and stood on her tip toes to pour the vial's contents over Emma's head.

She instinctively scrunched her eyes closed, having been expecting to feel the trickle of liquid. But she was pleasantly confused when she felt nothing. Opening her eyes to see what was going on, she saw that a light trail of golden dust seemed to have wound once around her waist, before beginning to trail outward and away from either of the two men.

She felt like she had a leash for an invisible dog tied across her middle. She could even feel the tug as the trail began to move towards the door. "Whoa, what's going on?"

"The bloody thing is broken, clearly!" Hook exclaimed. "It's leading her the wrong way!"

"No it's not," Tink countered, "the person she loves is clearly not in the diner!"

Neal piped up, "Are you sure Tink? Maybe you brewed it incorrectly?"

"Hey! How about you give me some credit here? I made this potion correctly, it's not my fault if you can't handle the fact that you're not who Emma wants."

"Uh, not to cause alarm, but when does this thing run out?" Emma asked, planting her feet on the linoleum floor to try and pause the trail, but finding herself slowly sliding towards the door still. She didn't exactly want to be dragged all over town by this...thing.

Tink then realized her dilemma. "Well, either until you and whoever you want are in front of one another, or if they're not in Storybrooke, if you cross the town line it should stop it."

"Great, so basically I've got no choice but to follow this," Emma responded, exasperated. "Destiny, here I come."

With that, Emma opened the door and followed the trail, the crowd outside parting to let her through.

* * *

She wasn't sure what she would prefer. Finding out that her destiny was outside the town or whether she wanted her destiny to be in Storybrooke. The former might save her the embarrassment of being led to someone in Storybrooke, but would also mean that she would be moving out, and she just couldn't see that happening. It was a conundrum.

Continuing her path further into the town cemented that whoever it was, they were in Storybrooke.

When she saw herself taking a familiar path, her heart began to beat faster.

As she turned onto Mifflin Street, she was trying to grab the trail to stop it, but her hand just phased through it.

Approaching house 108, she hoped that maybe Regina wasn't there. But she had the distinct feeling that the spell would have led her to Regina wherever she was, even if it turned out that Regina was in the Rabbit Hole. Maybe she wouldn't answer. Yeah, maybe that would be her saving grace.

When she reached the door and saw that the trail just paused there, she realized that if she didn't ring the doorbell, or if Regina didn't answer, she'd have to wait there.

"Well, here goes nothing," Emma murmured as she pressed the doorbell.

Not 2 minutes later and the door opened to reveal a surprised Regina.

"Emma! What-" Regina paused in her question as she saw and felt the golden trail wrap around her middle before pushing them closer a few inches and then disappearing altogether. "Dare I even ask?"

Emma didn't say anything. What could she say? That it was a glitch? No, Regina wouldn't believe that. That she had tricked her mind into choosing Regina in order to avoid Hook and Neal? Not only was it implausible, but it also made Regina out to be a cop-out, not to mention that it was belittling what Regina meant to her.

"Uhm, hi?" Emma settled for, flashing a silly grin.

Regina returned with a soft smile, and said, "Before this goes any further, I have a safe bet that I know what this golden trail that pulled us together was meant to be. What I want to know is whether this means anything to you, or whether you're going to act on it?"

Emma gaped. "Wait, you mean you're not going to kick me to the curb? Or...or jinx me for the humiliation?"

"Why in the world would I do that?"

"Because I  _like_  you, Regina! And you probably don't like me back-"

"Who said that?" Regina interrupted with a frown. "If anything, I thought  _you_  wouldn't feel the same I did."

"You mean to say," Emma began before letting out a deep breath and continuing, "we both like each other but we weren't going to act on it because we thought the other didn't like us back?"

Regina chuckled. "Seems that way."

Emma felt bold enough to take another step forward until they were practically nose to nose. Raising her hands, she cupped Regina's cheeks, silently looking into Regina's eyes, trying to see whether what she was about to was okay.

At the nearly imperceptible nod, she brought their lips together. If this was to be her destiny, then she had no problem letting it lead her forward.

**Author's Note:**

> And that was that!
> 
> Now I'm going to be leaving drabbles aside for a while, and will return to tackling my full-length fics with: Things We've Lost, and A Thief in the Night!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this. Let me know what your thoughts on this drabble are!


End file.
